Vampire Hunter D: Face the Truth
by Yunni
Summary: A tale of the courage to face one's past...and to face the truth about ones self... (last chapters are up...it was fun writting this and i hope you all enjoyed this fanfic also!)
1. Prologue

Vampire Hunter D: Face the Truth  
  
Prologue   
  
"Please...let us leave my lady... he will come soon, and -"  
The pale woman sitting in a grand chair hushes the desperate man, her fingers touch his lips to silence him before returning to the arm rest.  
  
"Let him come...if he wishes to take me. What chance would I have?"  
Her servant knelt on his knees trying to coax her to safety, pleading with all his heart.  
  
"My lady, you have been good to me, to all my family and indeed the whole village. You have protected us from the vampires and creatures that stalk us in the night, and now we all want to protect you!"  
  
His eyes glaze over as tears wash over his face.  
"Please! Come with me! I will take you to a safe house, he will never find you!"  
  
"But... that is the problem isn't it..." She whispers, her long slim fingers brushing her straight, lengthy ebony hair.   
"He will find me, where ever I go... I will never escape his wrath..."  
  
"Very well..." The woman says standing up from her chair.  
With that, she follows her beloved servant down the long corridors of her mansion that overlooks the village she had protected.  
Passed the blanked out windows and silken drapes that hang in their place.  
Passed many paintings that hang on the dusty walls, so old with time the paint itself feeling its age.  
  
The servant leads her to the back door in the kitchens and he opens them, looking carefully outside before letting his mistress step out.  
It was dark but clear that night. No clouds quilted the night's sky and it left the air cold and crisp.  
The moon was full and its rays reflected the almost white skin of the woman, her ebony hair barely brushed the floor behind her and her crimson gown covered by a black cloak contrasted her paleness...  
  
"This way, quickly My Lady!"  
He ushers her into a ready couch, the two black steeds snort outwards, steam gushing from their android nostrils.  
She steps in quietly and closes the door behind her, looking out of the carriage window to thank the servant, her friend.  
  
"'Tis nothing my Lady, just be safe!"  
And with that the man jumps into the drivers seat and whips the metallic stallions as a signal to go. The couch springs to life, the stallions rearing with beastly power before galloping away into the night... 


	2. Enter the Hunter

Chapter 1  
The soft trotting of a Cybernetic horse moves slowly at it's masters command. With a short pull at the reigns, the beast halts, throwing its head back before settling down.  
"This looks like a nice place..." A muffled voice hints at sarcasm.  
The rider says nothing before moving on and spurs his horse into a full gallop, racing down the wind dirt track towards the village ahead.  
  
The villagers were not present on the streets as the Vampire hunter finally arrives, only lights from house windows show any sign of life.  
He makes his way to the tavern located at the far side of the village and dismounts, tying his steed's reigns on a post outside.  
Silently, he moves to the entrance and an equal silence greets him as he enters the tavern.   
"Nice place, nice people..."  
"Quiet." D says to his audible hand slowly.  
  
The Dunpeel goes to sit in a quiet corner and the usual noise of drunkards and tavern life returns, although D wasn't that interested.   
As soon as he is sat a barmaid is sent to D's side with a nod from the innkeeper and she quickly pulls out a note pad and pen, ready to take his order.  
What caught D's attention straight away was how relaxed these people were, sharing a Tavern with a Dunpeel present...  
"So, how may I help you?" the young woman asks, flicking an old sheet of paper over the pad. She places pen to paper ready to take his order.  
  
"I want information." Was all that passed his pale lips.  
The girl raises a brow and turns her head to look at her boss, shrugging her shoulders, hinting she may need help here...  
At that, the inn keeper wipes his towel over his shoulder and rubs his hands together before walking calmly over to D's table.  
He was a large fellow, round and tall and he was balding on the top.  
"What seems to be the trouble here?" He asks his cheeks flushing, hoping there wouldn't actually BE trouble.  
  
"I want information..." D replies in a low tone.   
"Well what would that be about, sir?" The round man asks, scratching the back of his head nervously.  
"About the Mistress that runs this village."  
  
Both bar maid and tavern owner grow quiet, they knew he was going to ask that.  
"I uh...We don't have a Mistress running this village...We have a Mayor, however."  
The girl gives a sharp look at her boss, her eyes questioning if that was the best he could come up with.  
"You are lying..." D replies simply and stands, forcing the two to step back in surprise.  
  
"N-now why would we lie? A Mayor is what we have, and we don't any trouble here...Y-y-you understand, sir?"  
D doesn't reply as if he hadn't heard the man at all and looks around the tavern for the man who had hired him.  
In the opposite corner of the tavern, a slender rugged looking man waves his hand lightly and the Dunpeel walks over to him, leaving the bar maid and Tavern owner to skutter off somewhere else.  
"I thought you would never come!" The man says with a wide grin, slapping his hand on D's back in greeting.  
Noticing, D wasn't too amused at this, shrugs and begins to head up a near flight of stairs, ushering the Vampire Hunter to do the same. Soon he leads D to his room and pulls out the room key, proceeding to unlocking the room and walks in. The man shuts the door behind D and goes to light a candle on a near table.  
"Sorry about those two down stairs." He says with a light chuckle.  
"You can't really trust any of the people here..."  
"Why?" D asks immediately.  
"Well...the 'Mistress' that they so urgently deny has this strange control over them...and you know what kind of creature has those powers..."  
The man then walks to a set of draws, opening the top draw and pulling out a bottle of whiskey.  
"You drink?"  
D merely raises an eyebrow and the man laughs in reply.  
"You really don't say much do you?"  
No answer.  
Still chuckling, the man pulls up a chair at the table and takes a long swig before continuing.  
"Ok, here's the story." He begins.  
" I had moved here quite a few months ago, and everything SEEMED fine here, until the night of the full moon." He pauses to take another drink.  
" Everyone was all hush, hush around me; even in the Tavern and I was beginning to grow suspicious, since everyone was ranting on about the 'Mistress'."  
"You brought me here because you were 'suspicious'?" D says with a slight hint of annoyance in his cool voice. He didn't like where this was going, but he would let the man carry on. If this was true, he would get paid.  
  
"Ok, ok! I know this all sounds pointless but listen." He says before continuing, sensing D's disapproval of his tale so far.  
"It was fool moon, the villagers were chanting 'Mistress' and then they flocked to the village square and you know what happened then?"  
D remained quiet, his eyes forcing the man to continue.  
"They dragged a guy from the local jail and tied him down to a post. And then 'she' came." He sups his beverage excitedly.  
"She was the most beautiful creature I had ever set my eyes on, all dressed in crimson robes and all that is fine. That's when it happened. The Mistress suddenly lunged at the poor bastard, and ripped into his throat with these great big fangs that grew from her mouth just like THAT!" and he snapped his fingers together to exaggerate the moment.   
D nods slowly. That was what he wanted to hear, she certainly sounded like a Mistress vampire...  
"Where will I find her?" 


	3. Rina

Chapter 2  
  
A tall black leather-clad woman enters the inn, twine blades sheathed at her hips, and mid-length black hair tied behind her with a red cord.  
She stretches and winks at the gawking men before making her way up the stairs, towards the room Dakye at told her to meet him at.  
God knows what that was all about, but he said he would pay her, and pay her good...and also something about a famous vampire hunter...  
Dakye talked a load of wibble a lot of the time. However, his paranoia about vampires kept her wealth at a comfy level, which suited her fine.  
  
A short rap at the door makes the man clap his hands together with glee and he winks at D, moving to the door quickly.  
"Ready to meet Rina??"  
D frowns, what was this fool up to now??  
"Heh, a lady, eh?" his left hand seemed to chuckle.  
A black leather-clad woman enters the room once D's employer lets her inn.  
"Dakye! So, what job do you have for me this time??" She stops as she sees D.  
Dakye blinks at the woman's confusion and laughs.  
"Oh right, I take it you've heard of the Great Dunpeel Vampire Hunter D?"  
Rina frowns, leaning against the table. Why had he employed him? Surly she was enough to get the job done?? She didn't like this one bit.  
"I work alone..." D says bluntly, reflecting Rina's thoughts exactly.  
"Now wait and listen..." Dakye says holding his hands up. "Yes, I've hired both of you because I know this 'Mistress Vampire' is extremely strong! I'm not risking anything!"  
Rina butts in, the situation growing more and more distasteful.  
"Now wait. A 'Mistress Vampire'? And you hired a Dunpeel?? I think you better explain what's going on, Dakye, what reason do you have for paying us to kill that creature." The female vampire hunter says sternly, crossing her arm together.   
Although as an employee, it was not his nature to ask about the employer's reason, but this did both intrigue and feel strange to D.  
"Okay... I'll talk. I'm not exactly an innocent party here, that vampiric bitch has eaten a younger brother of mine...he was jailed for murder, so he was first in line on the 'Mistresses Menu'."  
"Well, if she drinks the blood of murderers, why does she need slaying?"  
Dakye frowns.  
" Rina, it's not your job to ask questions, your job is to do the slaying and get paid..." his seemed to flicker with a hidden anger at the suggestion the Vampire Mistress should be left alone.  
  
D let this entire conversation sink in before speaking again.  
A Vampire Mistress, she may be; but D was enough to slay her...unless once again Dakye wasn't letting them in on everything.  
And he better pay well for this, he didn't like working with other Hunters. That usually led to further complications, a fact proven in his many past outings.   
" What defences does she have?" D drones to the other.  
"Defences? Well, she has many human slaves, you can see that from this village and I've heard she has links to the Barbaroi....If that answers your question. Oh, and another thing..." Dakye says drinking once again from his bottle.  
"She has a load of children, swarms of Vampires under her parentage, so that's why I've hired the two of you. One can watch the others back, ok?"  
D didn't like his tone much, but then again, he didn't like the idea of the Barbaroi, a race of mutants that he had encountered before...and 'swarms' of Vampires?  
"OK! That's all I need to hear!" Rina says cracking her knuckles rudely.  
"Now to discuss my payment."  
  
It didn't take much effort to squeeze a satisfactory amount of money from Dakye, then again, Rina was not one to be messed with when it came down to money.  
Patting a large pouch of an up payment Dakye had 'offered' to the two hunters each, Rina makes her way to the bar and orders food and a large mug of warm mead. She sips lightly on the honey made beverage then looks up to see her partner in this little hunt was not showing any pleasure at watching her 'waste her money'.  
"Aw! Don't tell me you don't drink! How do you spend all your money?" Rina asks D surprised.  
"Heh, Does it all disappear down the brothel?"  
That remark made D walk away. 


	4. It begins

Chapter 3  
  
It was early morning, and Rina found D saddling up his horse after moving the cyborg into the tavern's stable. The day was lightly damp, and the air was cool and fresh; a good day to start, if any!  
Of course the only question now, was 'where' to start. No one in the village dared let any hint on the 'Mistresses' whereabouts, or even a little hint on what direction she had headed.  
And so she turned to the silent D for advice. Maybe head manage to scare the inn Keeper enough for him to squeal...  
  
" Are you ready?" Rina asks the Dunpeel, after watching him groom the artificial horse.  
Silence.  
"You know, this hunt will be a heck of a lot more jolly if you didn't keep up that 'I'm a dark and silent kind of guy' act."  
"This isn't supposed to be fun." He drones, not turning from his horse.  
Rina rolls her eyes and checks her weaponry before saying anything again.  
"So...where are we going to start?" She asks, hoping this time D would give her a straight answer.  
" I found tracks from a large moving vehicle at the 'Mistress's' Mansion -"  
Rina interrupts, confused at how D managed to find her Mansion.  
He explains.  
" The only building that a high ranking vampire would ever choose to live at...They always have a taste for Dark looking buildings over looking a village."  
Rina blinked...was D making a joke???  
D carries on slowly, still tending to his steed, fastening the saddle to the Cyber-horses back.  
" The tracks I found could only belong to a horse driven carriage, they led me to the Village boundaries and away...and they where moving fast..."  
Rina nods, absorbing the impressive deduction by her fellow hunter.  
Soon, D checks the stirrups, the straps and saddle, before leading his ride out of the stable by its reigns.   
He stops and slight turns his head, his long dark brown locks falling behind him subtly.  
"Do you have transportation?" He asks, not out of any concern, but probably just to make sure he didn't have to give her a ride...he didn't like getting slowed down.  
"Yep!" Rina grins, pointing over to a modified motor cycle leaning on the stable wall; two wheels, huge engine and plenty of weaponry.  
  
" They have began their hunt..." The Mistress sighs sadly, her form seated comfortably in a large cushioned chair, in front of a grad gothic fireplace.  
The safe house that her servant had brought her two was a grand underground hideaway, filled with many passages, rooms carved from the rock that this place was created from and quartz and diamonds decorating the natural walls majestically.  
"They have?" her servant says, offering her a live rabbit as nourishment.  
The femme vampire looks on the frightened rodent sadly before taking it in her pale hands and sinking her teeth into its tiny throat.  
Her servant didn't seem bothered by this and acted as if it was a normal spectacle, like eating an apple.  
"Yes...I can scene my people, the villagers talking about it...I can sense the two hunters making their way from the village as I speak...He will find me after all..."  
"NO! You cant let them!" The servant says, his voice quivering.  
"Send for help! Send your offspring...send for the BARBAROI!" The little man then hushes himself, embarrassed of his little outburst.   
The Mistress smiles at him.  
"Thank you for your kindness, but I could not send my children to fight for me..."  
"Why not?" A hushed voice says from the corner of the room.  
The Mistress turns her head in the voice's direction to see three figures, one tall and muscular, one short slim and daunting and the other, the one that spoke, tall lean and fragile looking.  
"I could not send you to your death, my children..."  
"You are only our mother because you made us vampire, Mistress...but we still have the burning desire to protect you." The fragile one says, his hair white and short, his eyes a brilliant yellow.  
"And being your children we have the right to" the large, muscular one declares, his skin slightly tanned, his black hair in waves.  
!And that is that!" The petit one says finally, her hair tied back in many braids of red hair.  
The Mistress looks at them like only a mother could and thanks them for their loyalty...  
"Ven..."The White hared fragile man nods.  
"Ren..." the red hared woman smiles.  
"And Flen...." The muscular tanned man folds his arms.  
" I thank you for a kindness that only you three share with me...be careful, do not underestimate the hunters..." 


	5. At what cost?

Chapter 4  
  
So far, their journey had been very much easy; nothing attacked except for the bad weather.  
As it grew dark and the sky cleared into a beautiful star-filled night, Rina skidded her motor vehicle into clearing at the side of the road, switched off the motor and stretched her tired limbs.  
"What are you doing?" D asks, halting his horse.  
"Well, I need to rest. We mere mortals cannot journey all night and day like you intend D." She says as she swings her leg over and stands up from her bike.   
"I'll start a fire, you get food ready!" the woman says, beginning her search for dried timber.  
"Heh, don't worry D." His amused left hand tells him.  
"Inevitably, all men will be ordered around by a woman."  
  
Soon, the warm and comforting smell of hot drink and a roasting lump of meat rise from their little camp.  
D, sitting in silence as usual and Rina...talking to D's left hand.  
"It really must be tough on you Lefty!" Rina giggles, sipping the hot liquid from her cup.  
"Yes indeed! D hardly says a word, even if I talk and talk and plead and beg for at least one syllable!"  
D frowns and closes his left hand, rendering the parasite gagged making Rina groan.  
"Oh, come on D!"  
D says nothing.  
Rina huffs and takes the meat from the spit, placing it on some dried leaves she had acquired.  
"Why are you so anti-social?" Rina grumbles, slicing the lump of roasted flesh in two and handing half to her fellow hunter.  
"Don't tell me..." She says flatly.  
"It's none of my business, is it Dumpeel.."  
"Other people do not usually want to talk to 'Dhampirs'" He says correcting her.  
  
..." He replies out of the blue. He then unclenches his left hand and Lefty gasps for air.  
"HUGH! I hate it when you do that!" the parasite breathes.  
"Uh? What are we talking about?"  
"Well Dhampir, you don't bother me. Can't you tell by now?"  
D remains silent.  
"D...?"  
D stands up suddenly and dips his hat to shield his eyes.  
"Thank you." He says before making a quick scout round their camp.  
  
Many hours had passed, mostly in silence as Rina had fallen asleep and D as busy 'keeping watch' over the camp.  
"Rina's nice..." Lefty sighs "Reminds me of that woman that helped us when we were after Meier Link..."  
"Leila." D says.  
"Such a long time ago..." His left-hand muses.  
D makes his way back onto the road, trying to figure out their next move, kneeling down and setting his left hand onto the ground.  
"Ok...let's see." Lefty mumbles to himself, trying to figure out the direction.  
A long pause endures before the parasite talks again.  
"...They went in the direction of the mountains...but D?"  
D lifts his hand off the ground.  
"D? there are people coming in our dir-"  
Before he could finish D had already sheathed his blade, his eyes locked on unseen foes.  
Soon hisses and glowing eyes erupt the night and finally a voice.  
"Dhampir! You will regret ever pursuing our 'Mistress'!" It was a female voice.  
"We will punish you!" A male voice, sounding as if it had come from a giant's throat.  
"Turn heel and flee or DIE!" the final voice was also male, but delicate.  
D remains silent and with one elegant leap, attacks the voices his features cool and calm.  
Three voices screech at once and three vampires leap at D in reply to his attack. They dodge his blade and land on the ground.  
"You will never reach our 'Mistress', our other!"  
"We will protect her with our lives!"  
"And you will feel our wrath!"  
Ignoring their cries, D launches at them again, swinging his blade, catching the female vampire's neck.  
As her head rolls to the floor and the other two scream their rage, both tackling D at the same time.  
They grab his arms, and send him crashing to the ground before everything turns black....  
  
The rays of sunlight wake her and she gives a long yawn.  
Stretching and rubbing her eyes, she gets up and kicks the smoking campfire and tidies up.  
"D!" I'm packing up!"  
Silence.  
Rina shrugs and carries on the quick clean and packs her things before placing them on her motorbikes side bags.  
She looks up at the sun, seeing that it was nearly at its zenith and gasps.  
"OH crap. I've overslept...I bet that jerk has gone without me."  
That though disappears when she sees his horse still at the side of the road.  
Now that was strange...D not insight and his horse untouched.  
She quickly climbs onto her bike and roars the motor into life, with a quick rev she speeds her bike onto the road, whistling for his horse to follow.  
Soon she had found him...  
"D!"  
D lay screaming in pain, wrists and feet staked to the floor, his hat thrown aside.  
"T-too much SUN!" he gasps, struggling once again to brake free. With one final pull, he manages to rip his left arm free of the stake and blood flicks out in all directions, his body goes limp and the only noise is the weak murmur from his left-hand.  
"Three vampires attacked...one dead...the others..." Lefty coughs and splutters before continuing.  
" - the others managed to tac-tackled D down...staked us to the floor...the sun, THE SUN!"  
Without needing anymore explaining, Rina rushes to D's silent side and pulls out the remaining stakes and drags his body into a shaded natural cave near by. Using firstly her hands then a rock, she begins digging and digging and digging. She digs quiet a while before placing him inside the hole and replacing the cold dirt over his body...and then all she could do was wait...  
  
"Weak..." Left-hand splutters finally wakening, D still remaining still in his makeshift grave.  
"Dammit." Rina whispers urgently.  
"Fine..." she then unzips her collar, baring her neck and shakes D to waken him.  
" D! You need blood...wake UP!"  
D's eyes flicker open, not understanding what was just said.  
"D, drink my blood!" Rina says lifting him up slightly.  
His eyes widen and he shakes her off, hearing her this time.  
"NOOO!" he roars.  
"D burying you isn't enough, you'll DIE!"  
"I WILL NOT!" and tries to scramble free, his strength failing him.  
"D, listen to her..."His left-hand pleads him.  
"I will not drink blood...I'm not one of THEM!"  
"YOU ARE!" Rina screams at him, shaking him to his senses.  
"Dammit D, you have Vampire blood in your veins...and you need my blood to heal. NOW DO IT!"  
Grabbing the back of his head by his hair, Rina forces him to her neck. Enraged, D bares his teeth trying to scare her away, only for them to be plunged into soft skin...  
The crimson rush that follows is nothing of what he expected...so warm...ecstasy  
Raising his arms from out of the dirt, he grips Rina tightly, his right hand moving to her head as he begins to feed hungrily.  
Time meant nothing now, only the warm blood, Rina's essence, her life...  
"D..." She whispers, her voice growing weak.  
"D, you're drinking ...to much..."  
In response, his arms only cling on tighter.  
"D! STOP IT, LET HER GO!" Left hand screams at the Dhampir.  
D was in a world of his own...images of his past flicker through his mind, images of his family, greeting him with open arms as if to say; 'Well done! Drink and be one with us!' This makes him thin clearly.  
'One of you, I am not apart of your demented family...never, NEVER!'  
And with strained effort, he lets Rina go, her limp body dropping in front of him.  
"D, what have you done? She only meant a little...I think she's dead!"  
Blood stained face turns into a look of horror, never in his life had he done such a thing...not like this.  
He was now at full strength...but at what cost...  
"Rina...I HAD SAID NO!" He cries. 


	6. Sanity breaks

Chapter 5  
  
Blood.  
Black.  
Empty.  
Murder.  
Rina.  
Blood.  
So many words pass through his mind as he races his steed onwards. Never stopping, always thinking, always sorry...  
"D! You cant just leave her body there..." the mumbles of an annoying parasite. Ignore...just ignore him. Always attached, always with him yes, but never understanding, never knowing the pain...the guilt that now flows through his veins...  
"D?! Are you even LISTENING??"  
Silence.  
Do not speak, never speak. Must reap revenge...  
  
The cybernetic horse races onwards only the confused whimpers of an annoying parasite is heard.  
  
Blood.  
Why did I drink her blood?  
To save me?  
She made me...  
  
How dare she, now I am guilty...  
  
The day passes on into night, yet D never stops, always thinks...  
"You...have gone insane." Mumbles the annoying parasite.  
Insane? Possibly.  
Guilty? Defiantly.  
He doesn't blink, never stops, always thinking...  
  
Guilty.  
I am no longer a Vampire hunter...  
I am a murderer.  
  
The anger within builds and builds and builds, mixed with new emotions of guilt and self hate. Nothing mattered more so than vengeance. Nothing mattered more than the blood spurring his anger. Rina's blood. Rina's essence. Rina's life.  
  
Rina's life?  
What life?  
I had taken that life...  
Guilty.  
Always guilty.  
I am no longer a Vampire Hunter.  
I am a murderer.  
  
The horse pleads his master to stop, to rest.   
"D, if you don't stop, this Cybernetic Horse is going to fall apart!"  
"QUIET!" Fangs bared, eyes red with rage, D threatens his own hand.  
  
Insane? Possibly.  
Guilty? Defiantly.  
Vengeful? Certainly.   
  
Soon, the mountains loom ahead, the trail grows hotter and more visible. Yes, D would find his Prey.  
D would catch his prey.  
He will reap his vengeance.  
He was no longer a Vampire Hunter.  
He was Vengeance! 


	7. Prey to Victim

Chapter 6  
  
The sun rises slowly over the mountains declaring a new day...The sky blood red as if in anger at D's deeds. It looms over him accusingly until final it softens turning into a more peaceful yellow, as the sky becomes a clear blue.  
"FINALY!" the parasite sighs in relief.  
"Have you returned to the world to the sane? Last night was pretty freaky...D?"  
Silence replies; That typical 'D' silence indicating that D was indeed back to his old self.  
"The entrance is clear..." D says out loud, dismounting the shaky cyber-horse and walking smoothly to the mountain side. Running his left hand along a strange unnatural line along the rock, D asks his hand to reopen the sealed entrance.  
"OK, but its going to take a few seconds to swallow this spell... its quiet strong."  
Nodding D steps back and raises his left hand and the twisted face of the parasite opens his mouth. Its grows larger and a strange creaking is heard from the rock in front of them. Soon Lefty begins to suck up the spell, a gushing sound coming from its lips and the creaking becomes louder and LOUDER!  
  
Then all is quiet...  
"He's here!" hisses Ven, flicking his head up towards the room's entrance.  
"Here? Already?" the deep voice of Flen rumbles in disapproval and he rushes past his petite brother and heads up a passageway towards the entrance. Without turning his head he bellows back instruction to Ven.  
"I'll keep that damn Hybrid busy, you take care of our Mistress!"  
Without answering, Ven leaps away towards his Mistress's room.  
  
The parasite on D's left hand breathes in extortion.  
"PHEW! Never want to do THAT again...That was some spell!"  
"So it is opened?" D asks flatly, staring at the strange vertical line on the rocky wall.  
"Yes, yes...well..." Lefty pauses. "Well it SHOULD open..."   
D moves his hand to his swords hilt and steps closer to the wall, his eyes locked, his ears keen...  
Softly, he touches the line and a small vibration is felt...  
"Something is coming..."  
As soon as those words leave his lips he jumps back as the entrance swings open, the large bulk of Flen charging through.  
"DAMN YOU D! WE SHOULD HAVE RIPPED YOUR ENTRAILS OUT AND STRANGLED YOU WITH THEM!"  
D's expression doesn't change and he simply dodges the charge with usual grace, dancing around the muscular grunt as if floating on air.  
Flen roars, baring large extending fangs, swinging his elbow with such speed, it manages to clip D in the temple.  
"So clumsy...so weak..." He says with a sneering chuckle as D falls to the floor.  
Flen stands over the fallen Dhampir showing off his fangs and flashing yellow eyes.  
" And to think...you should be at full strength now that you have drank mortal blood!"  
"WWWHHHAAAAATTT??!!!"  
Snapping, D's eyes turn crimson with rage and his body lifts off the ground as if he is thrown in Flen's direction. With one swift movement, his hand reaches his sword's hilt, unsheathes it and slices upwards.  
"GGGAAAAARRRR!"  
"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
Silence.  
  
D lands slightly behind the massive creature, breathing deeply to calm himself. He places his sword back in its sheath before moving calmly into the cavern below.  
Flen remains deathly still, only his left eye twitches madly. With a sickening gurgle his body falls in two.  
Ven clutches his chest with an inward agony.  
"F-Flen is dead!"  
The Mistress closes her eyes tightly in sorrow and follows her child out of the room.  
  
"D! That was something! Its nice to have the old you back!" giggle's left-hand.  
D clenches his hand tightly to quieten the parasite and moves down the candle-lit tunnel. He guessed that this tunnel system had been carved out centuries ago as his eyes clasp on ancient faded paintings on the walls around him.  
Soon he comes to a huge door to the left of him, slightly agar. He opens it slowly and moves inside quickly.  
"No one here...but they were." His hand tells him helpfully.  
D nods and moves in deeper into the room, spotting another door at the far side of the well decorated room. Grabbing the handle, the door refuses to open and sneering hiss booms from the other side.  
"LEAVE US ALONE!"  
Ignoring the angry order, D begins to kick down the door, a muffled cry indicating that the voice was trying to hold the door from the other side.  
Soon there is a crack and a cry and splinters fly as the door is kicked wide open.  
Ven staggers in front of the Mistress, blocking her from view.  
"Dammit! What harm has she done?! LEAVE US!"  
D stares the pathetic vampire down before speaking.  
"She has killed many, enslaved a village and ruled them like puppets...she will die."  
"D..." a feminine, motherly voice speaks behind the protective Ven.  
"You speak through eyes clouded by hate...will you not listen to my side before passing judgement?"  
Ven moves at the sound of the woman's voice...and what D saw shook him to the core.  
"Mo-...no, this cant be."  
The Mistress looked like his Mother.  
She sees his confusion and clears his mind.  
"I know what you are thinking and no...I am not your mother. But strange is it not that we meet on this day?"  
She stands up slowly and her long ebony hair falls to the floor.  
"Please understand D, that like you, I do not like the curse that I have to endure. I despise being the creature of the night as much as you do..."  
D shakes his head clear and his eyes flicker with anger.  
"You feed on the living..."  
"I feed on murderers and rapists...people who do not deserve to live...it is the only way I can cope with my immortal life..." She whispers softly, looking sadly on at the confused man.  
D grits his teeth.  
"You have enslaved a village..."  
"And who told you that?" The Mistress asks D.   
" Before I was turned...I bore two children. Two that I loved very much even when I became a Vampire. I looked after them, and their children... and their children's children until my great and vast Mortal family built a village...you understand D?"  
D couldn't compute what was being told to him...that whole village...all those villagers were her family?!  
The Mistress moves closer to D until she was right in front of him.  
"Poor deluded child...you must understand that I DESPISE the drinking of blood...and so I drink the blood of people who set to harm my children, I have looked after my village for centuries..." She then begins to stroke D's hair.  
D backs away, the anger in his eyes growing into two pools of confusion.  
"D...you are the one who should be punished...you killed an innocent mortal."  
D once again snaps.  
"I HAVE BEEN PAYED TO SLAY YOU, WOMAN! AND I ALWAYS GET THE JOB DONE!"  
Fangs bared, D leaps at her, his sword drawn once again.  
"MOTHER!!"  
D slashes into cold immortal flesh.  
The Mistress screams...  
Ven's body falls to the floor.  
"OH! Ven my darling child!"  
The Mistress falls to her knees and begins to cradle the lifeless vampire in her arms.  
"Go ahead..."She sobs.  
"Kill me...I see now that there is no escape from you..."  
Emotionless, D raises his sword.  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
D spins round to see another woman at the chamber entrance, the Mistress's manservant at her side.  
"RINA?!" 


	8. Clear the Mind

Chapter 7  
  
"Rina?!" D repeats with both confusion and shock.  
"But I thought...I killed you?!"  
Rina smiles, staggers and leans on the servant for support.  
"You almost did!" She muses weakly.  
" This mess wasn't supposed to happen..." The Mistress's servant begins.  
"When I heard that Ven, Flen and Ren had run off to attack D, I knew that this wasn't according to our original plan...and so I followed."  
Original plan? This magnifies D's confusion but he lets the man carry on.  
" And by the time I had reached where you were...I found Rina unconscious and very, very weak with loss of blood..." the man looks up at the woman he had helped. " She nearly died there and then!"  
So...D wasn't a murderer after all...but he could have easily have been. The Dhampir's confusion then turns into heated anger...what was this plan? Was he just a pawn in a greater scheme? D wanted to know the Truth, and NOW!  
  
"What is going on here? I was told that This Vampire Mistress was a murderer. I was PAYED to slay her..." He turns sharply to fully face Rina, who now seemed to be in on this as well.  
"I'm sorry D..." Rina sighs, shakily standing up straight.  
"The truth was, Dakye wasn't supposed to hire anyone but me...Hiring you was a mistake..." She looks sheepishly at the Vampire Hunter and explains further.  
""You see... Dakye was driven mad with fever as a child, he is as much related to the Mistress as all the people of her village. Do you actually think we would let an outsider live in our village? Do you think we would risk our Mistress like that?"  
"So what are you saying?" D says, his eyes narrowing.  
"I am saying, I simply keep Dakye happy by playing out his madness, to stop him actually hiring REAL hunters. I pick off the odd vampire or monster outside the village to keep the loon satisfied...Heck, I don't even spend his money that much, just simply put it back in his safe when he is asleep!"  
Suddenly the shaky voice of the Mistress speaks behind him, still clutching her dead child in her arms.  
"Do not worry, we will pay you for your troubles if it that is what you now desire..."  
D stops them in their tracks. He was made a fool of, he was lied too...and why? They could have told him everything at the start couldn't they...? No... no that was wrong. He knew he wouldn't have listened... D, the great Vampire hunter would only think they were lying to trick him out of his bounty...  
"We knew that you would have thought we were trying to trick you..." Rina whispers to D as if reading his mind.   
"So we had to get The Mistress out of the village...away from you."  
"And you would lead me astray." D says finishing the sentence for her.  
"I'm sorry D... The attack however, the attack wasn't planned. I knew nothing about that."  
D nods slowly however there was just one thing left to clear up.  
"Why did you safe me Rina? Wouldn't leaving me to die have made everything else easier?"  
With shaky legs Rina walks away from the Servant, passed D and to the Mistress.  
"Everyone in our village is related somehow to our Mistress...But no one as much as I. I am her direct descendent." Her eyes rise to meet D's.  
"So you now must understand that I cannot discriminate against Vampires, mortals or Dhampirs...That's why I couldn't leave you to die D, that would go against my nature."  
She rubs her raw and bandaged neck and smirks lightly.  
"Although, you do have quiet a bite, Vampire Hunter!"  
"Hired by a loon, led astray by a woman, assumed a murderer and told everything was a mistake. YEP!" D's left hand says with a slight hint of hysteria.   
"THIS was a productive week!"  
D clenches his left hand and in silence, he turns to leave, sheathing his blade.  
"Wait! Don't you want you pay?" Rina calls after him.  
"I'd rather just forget about it all..."  
As he reaches the door, the servant stops him.  
"Forget? How could you forget all this? You will never forget D, you will remember and learn from this! REMEMBER!"  
D frowns and pushes past the little man and walks with a quick step towards the cavern corridors.  
"Should I go after him, grandmother?" Rina whispers to the Mistress on the floor.  
"No... too much hate flows in him...would he listen if you tried?"  
"But...after all this, don't we owe it too him?"  
Without saying a word, the mistress picks up Ven's body and begins to walk into the other room.  
"He has caused me much pain...this mistake as ruined me. Do what you want." And with that the Mistress, clutching her dead child in her arms closes the door behind her. 


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
To remember such things, painful memories past experiences is a hard thing to do... None so much as what happened that day.  
Rina had followed me out of the cave...and at first I ignored the woman, ignored her please and apologies.   
Why should I listen?   
She had lied to me, she had led me along a long and winding path of blood and deceit.   
She owed me nothing...  
She was persistent however, following me until I listened.  
That woman...  
  
I remember her face as if it was yesterday, she was still weak and barely hung onto her bikes controls...her eyes... her eyes burned into me with such a passion I had no choice but to listen.  
Rina...  
You stupid woman.  
You stupid mortal...  
And yet I envy you.   
We are one now and forever...even past your mortal years we are still together, as every beat of my Dhampiric heart. Your blood is still running through my veins.  
  
What was it you said to me as I was leaving?   
Never forget?  
You were sorry that I could never forget?  
I ignored you at first, yes but your eyes and defiance kept me from running away. You tore your bandage from around your neck and screamed at me to look...  
SEE?! You cried.  
SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!   
And then the guilt flowed once again and I looked at the marks on your neck, still red raw.  
Our eyes met and I finally understood that we were connected forever with blood. You would never forget me, as I have never forgotten you.  
And I thank you Rina...  
Thank you for making me understand.  
My life is easier with you inside me.  
With your essence, with your mortal passion and knowledge...  
Comforting memories.  
  
I will never forget. 


End file.
